Cuff link construction



Nov. 10, 1964 D. w. GREEN 3,156,024

CUFF LINK CONSTRUCTION Filed July 15, 1965 INVENTOR, Dav/0 W Gees/v,-

United States Patent 3,156,024 CUFF LINK CONSTRUCTION David W. Green,Box 3066, Grand Central Station, Glendale, Calif. Filed July 15, 1963,Ser. No. 294,917 2 Claims. (Cl. 24-41) This invention relates to a cufflink construction which maintains a shirt sleeve cuff so that the cuffhas a neat, dressy appearance and the cuff link is displayed to bestadvantage on the cuff from an ornamental standpoint.

An object of the invention is to provide a cuff link adapted to beapplied to the cuff prior to inserting the wrist and hand through thecuff, the cuff link construction permitting expansion thereof followedby contraction after passing the hand through the cuff.

My invention overcomes this noticeable defect as it holds the cuff inthe position shown in FIGURE 1.

The culf link of my invention is designated as an entirety by 10, andthe same includes a pair of heads 11 and 12 which are interconnected bya shank or linkage 13.

The heads 11 and 12, in the present instance, are of disk form, of anyconfiguration, and ornamented as desired. Generally, and in the presentinvention, the heads as shown are elliptical with the shank or linkage13 con- Shirts worn by both men and women have sleeves which 7 terminatein cuffs of various forms among which cuffs are the well-known Frenchtype wherein the cuffs have folded back portions. Cuffs of this type areprovided with button holes for the insertion therethrough of cuff links.However, modern trends and styles often indicate cuff links having headsof such size that they will not pass through the button holes in thecuffs. Under these conditions, manufacturers often provide the heads onthe back thereof with posts or shanks having turnable cross bars forpassage through the button holes. However, if a cross bar should happento turn so as to parallel the post, the cuff link may be lost due torepassage through the button holes.

An object of my invention is to provide a cuff link construction whereinthe heads may be separated without disconnecting the heads, the headsresuming what is termed a normal position after stress therebetween toseparate the heads, is relieved. My invention, likewise, contemplates acuff link construction wherein the heads may be disconnected andreconnected to permit the use of the cuff links on another shirt sleevecufi.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cuff link constructionwhich will accommodate passage of any oversized hand through the cud orwithdrawal of the hand therefrom.

Other objects include cuff link construction which assures that the cufflink is at all times held to the cuff without any fear of loss of thecuff link, inexpensive in cost of manufacture, and generally superior tocufl? link constructions now known to the inventor.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel and useful provision, formation, construction, association andrelative arrangement of parts, members and features, all as shown in oneembodiment in the accompanying drawing, described generally, and moreparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a French type cuff with acufl link of the invention engaging said cuff;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, sectional view on an enlarged scale, andtaken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the cuff link, parts being ina moved position from that of FIG- URE 2; and,

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, sectional view on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now to the drawing, I have shown in FIGURE 1 at 1 a sleeveprovided with a French cuff 2 of the type which has a double fold toprovide four thicknesses of fabric. The end and fabric are provided withbutton holes indicated generally in FIGURE 2 as 3. A French cuff of thistype provides a thickness of fabric which, unless the edges of the cuffand sleeve are matched, produces a lack of uniformity in appearance andat best a lack of neatness.

nected at the centers thereof. The shank 13 includes a shallow cuplikemember 14 secured centrally of and to the inner surface or back of oneof the heads; to wit, the head 12, by silver soldering or by otherconvenient means, as indicated at 15. It will be noted that the base ofthe cup rests against the inner surface of the head. The side wall ofthe cup 14 is annular and fitted within the cup is a tubular member 16preferably secured to the cup by silver soldering, as indicated at 17.Tubular member 16 is provided with an internal flange 18 at its upperend. An inner tubular member 19 is telescopically received within member16, the member 19 at its lower end being provided with an externalflange 20. The tubular member 19 is capped at its upper end by an endwall 21. When the two tubular members 16 and 19 are telescoped as shownin FIGURE 2, the flange 20 rests against the base of the cup 14 and whenexpanded or separated as shown in FIGURE 3, the flanges 18 and 20contact to limit outward extension of tubular member 19 relative totubular member 16. A coiled tension spring, designated generally as 30,is confined within and between the two tubular members. The base of thecup 14 is internally provided with an eye member 31 and the wall 21 isinternally provided with eye member 32, the ends of the tension springbeing hooked between the eye members. Normally the spring 36 holds thetubular members in the position shown in FIGURE 2; that is to say, fullytelescoped. The outer surface of the wall 21 is provided with an eyemember 33 which has fiat parallel sides 34 and 35 and a substantiallyelongated or rectangular slot 36. The eye member 33 is secured to theend wall 21 in any desired manner such as by silver soldering, as shownin FIGURES 3 and 4. Secured to the inner surface or back of the head 11is a bifurcated stud 40 and received between the bifurcations of saidstud and secured by means of a transverse pin 41 is the shank 42 of ahook member 43. The hook shank 42 is substantially fiat sided as is thehook portion 44, the width of the hook being such as to be closelyaccommodated within the slots 36 of the eye member 33. As shown inFIGURE 3, the hook portion 44 bears against a surface of the shank 42 toclose the hook and maintain the eye member 33 therein. The hook and theshank are preferably formed from spring like material so that the hookmay be opened by pressing downwardly on the end 45 to release the eyemember 33 therefrom.

The operation, uses and advantages of my invention, are as follows:

In order to fully describe my invention and its advantages, it may bestated that the diameter of the tubular member 16 as well as thediameter of the cup 14 is such as to allow ready passage of the saidmembers through the button holes 3. However, in the construction shown,the heads 11 and 12 are of such size that passage thereof through thebutton holes is impossible. As a consequence, the cuff links are appliedto the cuffs while the shirt is not being worn by the user. The head 11is disconnected from the shank by releasing the hook 43 from the eyemember 33. After passing the shank through the button holes 3, the hookis reattached to the eye member. Generally, the thickness of the cuff isapproximately a quarter H of an inch when the cuff fabric is folded and,accordingly, 7 the spacing between the heads 11 and 12 isapproximatelythis distance when the spring 3% is not tensioned, as it isPatented Nov. 10, 1964 found that this distance holds the folded cut? insuch a manner as to give it a neat, uniform appearance. When the arm isinserted in the sleeve and the hand passed through the cuff, the spring30 will be tensioned in moving from the position of FIGURE 2 to that ofFIGURE 3. The fiat sided hook 43 will hold the flat sided eye member 33against escape from the hook after a cuff link has been applied to acuff. Side movement of the heads 11 and 12 is compensated by the pinnedrelationship of the shank of the hook with the bifurcated stud 40.Consequently, movement of the hand through the cutf will not release theheads from the shank. Upon removing the shirt the hand and the wrist arepulled through the cuff, the heads separating due to expansion of thespring 30, as shown in FIGURE 3, and thereafter the cuff links may bereleased from the but-ton holes 3 by disconnecting the hook from the eyemember 33.

I claim:

1. In cuff link construction, a pair of heads, there being a shankbetween the heads, said shank comprising a shallow cuplike membersecured to one head, a tubular member received in the cuplike member andsecured thereto, said tubular member provided with an internal flange, asecond tubular member telescoped within the first tubular member andprovided with an external flange for cooperation with the flange of thefirst tubular member to limit outward movement of the inner tubularmember relative to the outer tubular member, a coil spring within theinner tubular member and having one end secured to the shallow cuplikemember, the opposite end of the spring being secured to the innertubular member to maintain the tWo tubular members normally telescoped,the second head provided with a stud and a spring hook depending fromthe stud, and the inner tubular member provided with an eye member forconnection with said hook.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1, the stud being bifurcated and theshank of the hook being pinned to said stud between said bifurcationswhereby the hook may have a swinging movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS712,426 Vogel Oct. 28, 1902 1,531,961 Lines Mar. 31, 1925 FOREIGNPATENTS 16,774 Great Britain July 8, 1894

1. IN CUFF LINK CONSTRUCTION, A PAIR OF HEADS, THERE BEING A SHANKBETWEEN THE HEADS, SAID SHANK COMPRISING A SHALLOW CUPLIKE MEMBERSECURED TO ONE HEAD, A TUBULAR MEMBER RECEIVED IN THE CUPLIKE MEMBER ANDSECURED THERETO, SAID TUBULAR MEMBER PROVIDED WITH AN INTERNAL FLANGE, ASECOND TUBULAR MEMBER TELESCOPED WITHIN THE FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER ANDPROVIDED WITH AN EXTERNAL FLANGE FOR COOPERATION WITH THE FLANGE OF THEFIRST TUBULAR MEMBER TO LIMIT OUTWARD MOVEMENT OF THE INNER TUBULARMEMBER RELATIVE TO THE OUTER TUBULAR MEMBER, A COIL SPRING WITHIN THEINNER TUBULAR MEMBER AND HAVING ONE END SECURED TO THE SHALLOW CUPLIKEMEMBER, THE OPPOSITE END OF THE SPRING BEING SECURED TO THE INNERTUBULAR MEMBER TO MAINTAIN THE TWO TUBULAR MEMBERS NORMALLY TELESCOPED,THE SECOND HEAD PROVIDED WITH A STUD AND A SPRING HOOK DEPENDING FROMTHE STUD, AND THE INNER TUBULAR MEMBER PROVIDED WITH AN EYE MEMBER FORCONNECTION WITH SAID HOOK.